The USDA has named the City of Cedar Key as Florida’s Rural Community of the Year for 2009.

Located on the Gulf Coast of Levy County, Cedar Key’s belief in partnering to protect the community’s history, environment and working people peaked the interest of UDSA Rural Development, and led to the award that will be officially presented the community next week.

Cedar Key’s green movement passed another milestone last Friday with the largest business to date receiving the Green Lodging Program designation from the Florida Department of Environment Protection. Park Place Condominiums, managed by Linda LeRoy, became the third local business to receive the certification. The state made it official through email Sept. 4.

At a special meeting Monday evening, the Community Redevelopment Agency adopted the 2009-10 budget and heard petitions from community members, students and school personnel for the continued funding of the Art Teacher Grant for the Cedar Key School Art Program.

The CRA grant is set to expire in June. In its third year, the grant has paid the salary for Debby Manansala who teaches art to all CKS students, kindergarten through high school. It has also funded the purchasing of art supplies and needed materials.

Airheads from all over the state converged on a 45-acre farm located between Cedar Key and Chiefland last weekend for the Second Annual Suwannee River Tech Day and Camp.

The international Airheads Beemer Club is for riders who own specific BMW bikes: those with air-cooled engines. Most anything that happens with an Airhead Beemer can be repaired on the side of the road with the tool kit that BMW provides – with the right knowledge, of course.

Technicians completed the two and half week installation of a permanent weather station on the Big Dock tower this week, making Cedar Key the first station in Florida capable of enduring hurricanes up to category 4.

“Everybody’s been wondering what that mushroom’s been about,” said NOAA contractor Lee Chapin. “That’s why it’s built in that fashion – they hope it will withstand a category 4 hurricane.” The only others like it are in Mississippi and Louisiana, he said.